Biochar Effects on Soil Fertility and Nutrient Cycling

Biochar ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 268-295
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility

scholarly journals Agricultural diversification promotes multiple ecosystem services without compromising yield

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (45) ◽  
pp. eaba1715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Tamburini ◽  
Riccardo Bommarco ◽  
Thomas Cherico Wanger ◽  
Claire Kremen ◽  
Marcel G. A. van der Heijden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Context Dependency ◽  
Water Regulation ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Impact

Enhancing biodiversity in cropping systems is suggested to promote ecosystem services, thereby reducing dependency on agronomic inputs while maintaining high crop yields. We assess the impact of several diversification practices in cropping systems on above- and belowground biodiversity and ecosystem services by reviewing 98 meta-analyses and performing a second-order meta-analysis based on 5160 original studies comprising 41,946 comparisons between diversified and simplified practices. Overall, diversification enhances biodiversity, pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and water regulation without compromising crop yields. Practices targeting aboveground biodiversity boosted pest control and water regulation, while those targeting belowground biodiversity enhanced nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and water regulation. Most often, diversification practices resulted in win-win support of services and crop yields. Variability in responses and occurrence of trade-offs highlight the context dependency of outcomes. Widespread adoption of diversification practices shows promise to contribute to biodiversity conservation and food security from local to global scales.

Soil fertility after logging in the northern Rocky Mountains

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 679-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Stark
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Northern Rocky Mountains ◽  
Dry Biomass ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Time Of Harvest ◽  
Whole Tree

Measurements of dry biomass, the concentration of 10 biologically essential ions and other data from compartments of a Douglas-fir – western larch (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco – Larixoccidentalis Nutt.) forest were used to study the nutrient impacts of various harvest treatments. Precipitation additions about equalled leaching losses as has been shown elsewhere. Any ions lost in harvest must be replaced by available ions in the soil root zone and ions recycled from decay above and below ground. Conventional harvest of wood >7.6 cm removes about 1% of the total ecosystem cations. Data show that decay and available and accessible soil ions could easily replace the ions lost in a single rotation with conventional harvest. Total aboveground harvest would reduce the decomposer populations and remove the supporting substrate, resulting in possible ion deficiencies during the next rotation (excluding weathering additions). Whole-tree harvest would leave marginal amounts of Mn available or recyclable in the ecosystem on these young soils to support the next rotation. Two guidelines for harvest and nutrient cycling in the Rocky Mountains were developed: (i) The growth of a forest within a rotation should not be subsidized by ions released through weathering during that rotation because the soil will not mature in fertility. (ii) There should be enough biologically essential ions on site at the time of harvest to grow the next three to four forest rotations to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Effects of amending an Ultisol with bambara groundnut seed residue on soil fertility, microbial nutrient cycling and yield of cucumber

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-266
Author(s):  
Chinyere Blessing Okebalama ◽  
Chukwunonso Odera Ibezim ◽  
Vivian Ukamaka Ugwu ◽  
Bernd Marschner
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Bambara Groundnut

Determinants of Leaf Litter Nutrient Cycling in a Tropical Rain Forest: Soil Fertility Versus Topography

Ecosystems ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 700-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tana E. Wood ◽  
Deborah Lawrence ◽  
Deborah A. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Forest Soil ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest

scholarly journals Nutrient Cycling in Grazed Pastures

EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria L. Silveira ◽  
Joao M. Vendramini ◽  
Hiran M. Da Silva ◽  
Mariana Azenha
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Animal Performance ◽  
Economic Returns ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Commercial Fertilizer ◽  
Supplemental Feed ◽  
Soil And Water

Many forage-based livestock production systems in Florida are characterized by extensive grazing with minimal inputs of commercial fertilizer and supplemental feed. In these systems, adequate soil fertility conditions are essential to sustain forage production. If nutrients become deficient, pasture and animal performance is reduced, and the economic returns of livestock operations may decline. This 3-page fact sheet discusses the different nutrient pathways in grazing pastures to help producers better understand how to promote nutrient cycling and pasture sustainability. Written by Maria L. Silveira, Joao M. B. Vendramini, Hiran M. da Silva, and Mariana Azenha, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, January 2013.  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss578 

scholarly journals Comparative Metagenomics Reveals Enhanced Nutrient Cycling Potential after 2 Years of Biochar Amendment in a Tropical Oxisol

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Yu ◽  
Lauren M. Deem ◽  
Susan E. Crow ◽  
Jonathan Deenik ◽  
C. Ryan Penton
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽  
Soil Microbiome ◽  
Carbon Turnover ◽  
Soil Microcosms ◽  
Biochar Amendment ◽  
Amended Soil

ABSTRACTThe complex structural and functional responses of agricultural soil microbial communities to the addition of carbonaceous compounds such as biochar remain poorly understood. This severely limits the predictive ability for both the potential enhancement of soil fertility and greenhouse gas mitigation. In this study, we utilized shotgun metagenomics in order to decipher changes in the microbial community in soil microcosms after 14 days of incubation at 23°C, which contained soils from biochar-amended and control plots cultivated with Napier grass. Our analyses revealed that biochar-amended soil microbiomes exhibited significant shifts in both community composition and predicted metabolism. Key metabolic pathways related to carbon turnover, such as the utilization of plant-derived carbohydrates as well as denitrification, were enriched under biochar amendment. These community shifts were in part associated with increased soil carbon, such as labile and aromatic carbon compounds, which was likely stimulated by the increased available nutrients associated with biochar amendment. These findings indicate that the soil microbiome response to the combination of biochar addition and to incubation conditions confers enhanced nutrient cycling and a small decrease in CO2emissions and potentially mitigates nitrous oxide emissions.IMPORTANCEThe incorporation of biochar into soil is a promising management strategy for sustainable agriculture owing to its potential to sequester carbon and improve soil fertility. Expanding the addition of biochar to large-scale agriculture hinges on its lasting beneficial effects on the microbial community. However, there exists a significant knowledge gap regarding the specific role that biochar plays in altering the key biological soil processes that influence plant growth and carbon storage in soil. Previous studies that examined the soil microbiome under biochar amendment principally characterized only how the composition alters in response to biochar amendment. In the present study, we shed light on the functional alterations of the microbial community response 2 years after biochar amendment. Our results show that biochar increased the abundance of genes involved in denitrification and carbon turnover and that biochar-amended soil microcosms had a reduction in cumulative CO2production.

Linking Biogeochemical Cycles to Cattle Pasture Management and Sustainability in The Amazon Basin

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moacyr B. Dias-Filho ◽  
Eric A. Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Forest Land ◽  
Cattle Pasture ◽  
Degraded Pasture

Pasture development has become the largest anthropogenic disturbance of forest land in the Amazon basin (Skole et al. 1994, Serrão and Toledo 1990). The area of forests converted to cattle pasture in Amazonia is currently estimated at approximately 20 million hectares. In the Brazilian Amazon basin, most of the conversion of forest land to pasture began during the early 1960s to the late 1980s, as a consequence of the opening of Amazon highways and government policies aimed at regional development (Hecht 1982, Nepstad et al. 1991, Serrão et al. 1979). Pasture productivity and longevity in the Amazon basin seem to be closely related to soil fertility and nutrient cycling (e.g., Dias Filho and Serrão 1987, Serrão et al. 1979). Thus, understanding the major biogeochemical cycles that influence soil fertility under pasture is vital for predicting the consequences of continued conversion of tropical forests to cattle pastures. This understanding is also important for devising management technologies that enhance the sustainability of these areas and thus slow further deforestation. Although during the first three to five years after establishment, the productivity of pastures is often good, after that period a rapid decline in productivity of the planted grasses associated with an increased presence of herbaceous and woody invaders is generally observed (reviewed by Serrão and Toledo 1990). If left uncontrolled, these invader species slowly become dominant and lead to “pasture degradation,” a condition characterized by a complete dominance of the weedy community. If left to secondary succession, forest vegetation usually becomes reestablished on these degraded pasture lands in the Amazon, although the species composition is usually different than that of the primary forest (Nepstad 1989). The nutrient status of the degraded pasture soils is among the factors that affect the rate of regrowth of the secondary forests. One of the first attempts to study soil nutrient dynamics under cultivated pastures in the Amazon basin was conducted in the early 1970s by Falesi (1976). The results of that chronosequence study in different soil types suggested that soil nutrient cycling in pastures differed from that of the traditional slash-and-burn agriculture.

scholarly journals ATRIBUTOS QUÍMICOS E MICROBIOLÓGICOS DO SOLO EM PLANTIOS CLONAIS DE EUCALIPTO

Nativa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 216
Author(s):  
Giovanno Radel Vargas ◽  
Renato Marques ◽  
Jonas Eduardo Bianchin ◽  
Hilbert Blum ◽  
Wilson Wagner Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Analysis ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Microbiological Activity ◽  
Soil Microbiota ◽  
Development Potential ◽  
Eucalyptus Plantations ◽  
Chemical Attributes ◽  
Experimental Plots

Atributos microbiológicos do solo podem ser relacionados à ciclagem de nutrientes e mesmo com a produtividade de plantas e podem se relacionar com a fertilidade do solo ou com o potencial de desenvolvimento de determinadas espécies. O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar atributos químicos e microbiológicos do solo em plantios com diferentes materiais genéticos de eucalipto, submetidos ou não ao desbaste florestal. O trabalho foi conduzido em área no município de Itatinga-SP, onde estão plantados oito clones e um plantio semental de eucalipto. As parcelas do experimento foram compostas pelos 8 clones e pelo plantio semental, sendo suas subparcelas as áreas em que foi realizado o desbaste e as áreas onde não foi realizado o desbaste. Foram realizadas coletas de solo para análises químicas e para os atributos microbiológicos nas camadas superficiais do solo. Não foi identificado efeito dos materiais genéticos sobre atributos químicos do solo. Foi observada tendência de maior atividade microbiológica no verão e não foi verificada influência do material genético sobre atributos microbiológicos, mas o desbaste influenciou alguns deles, sem, entretanto, comportamento padrão.Palavras-chave: microbiologia; clones; desbaste; microbiota do solo. CHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE SOIL IN CLONAL EUCALYPTUS PLANTATIONS ABSTRACT: Soil microbiological attributes can be related to nutrient cycling and even plant productivity and can be related to soil fertility or the development potential of certain species. The objective of this work was to characterize chemical and microbiological attributes of the soil in plantations with different genetic materials of eucalyptus, submitted or not to forest thinning. The work was carried out in an area in the municipality of Itatinga-SP, where eight clones and one eucalyptus seed plantation are planted. The experimental plots were composed of 8 clones and seed planting, with its subplots being the areas where thinning was carried out and the areas where thinning was not carried out. Soil collections were carried out for chemical analysis and microbiological attributes in the superficial layers of the soil. No effect of genetic materials on soil chemical attributes was identified. A trend towards greater microbiological activity was observed in the summer and there was no influence of genetic material on microbiological attributes, but thinning influenced some of them, without, however, standard behavior.Keywords: microbiology; clones; thinning; soil microbiota.

scholarly journals Agronomic Evaluation of Biochar, Compost and Biochar-Blended Compost across Different Cropping Systems: Perspective from the European Project FERTIPLUS

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel A. Sánchez-Monedero ◽  
María L. Cayuela ◽  
María Sánchez-García ◽  
Bart Vandecasteele ◽  
Tommy D’Hose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Microbial Activity ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Soil Microbial Activity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Organic C

This paper reports the results on the agronomic performance of organic amendments in the EU 7th FP project “FERTIPLUS—reducing mineral fertilizers and agro-chemicals by recycling treated organic waste as compost and bio-char”. Four case studies on field-scale application of biochar, compost and biochar-blended compost were established and studied for three consecutive years in four distinct cropping systems and under different agro-climatic conditions in Europe. These included the following sites: olive groves in Murcia (Spain), greenhouse grown tomatoes in Almeria (Spain), an arable crop rotation in Oost-Vlaanderen (Merelbeke, Belgium), and three vineyards in Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy). A slow pyrolysis oak biochar was applied, either alone or in combination with organic residues: compost from olive wastes in Murcia (Spain), sheep manure in Almeria (Spain), and compost from biowaste and green waste in Belgium and Italy. The agronomical benefits were evaluated based on different aspects of soil fertility (soil total organic carbon (TOC), pH, nutrient cycling and microbial activity) and crop nutritional status and productivity. All amendments were effective in increasing soil organic C in all the field trials. On average, the increase with respect to the control was about 11% for compost, 20% for biochar-blended compost, and 36% for biochar. The amendments also raised the pH by 0.15–0.50 units in acidic soils. Only biochar had a negligible fertilization effect. On the contrary, compost and biochar-blended compost were effective in enhancing soil fertility by increasing nutrient cycling (25% mean increase in extractable organic C and 44% increase in extractable N), element availability (26% increase in available K), and soil microbial activity (26% increase in soil respiration and 2–4 fold enhancement of denitrifying activity). In general, the tested amendments did not show any negative effect on crop yield and quality. Furthermore, in vineyards and greenhouse grown tomatoes cropping systems, compost and biochar-blended compost were also effective in enhancing key crop quality parameters (9% increase in grape must acidity and 16% increase in weight, 9% increase in diameter and 8% increase in hardness of tomato fruits) important for the quality and marketability of the crops. The overall results of the project suggest that the application of a mixture of biochar and compost can benefit crops. Therefore, biochar-blended compost can support and maintain soil fertility.

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